BrotherZak
Junior Member
Essence of Islam beautifully Expressed
"when,in accordance with the first pillar of his religion, the Muslim makes the confession of faith he attaches himself to the essential and puts aside all that is in appearance-other-than- God, and he acknowledges the truth brought by the messengers. When, in accordance with the second Pillar, he prays-whether in a mosque or on the desert sands, in a western city or in the polar regions- he places himself at the centre of all possible worlds, for God has promised that he will be present wherever his name is mentioned, and the place where he is present is necessarily central in every dimension.
When in accordance with the third pillar, this Muslim pays the poor-due and observes the obligation of loving-kindness towards his fellows, he acknowledges the right of other creatures-made in the same image as himself-and recognizes that God, who is close to him, is close also to them. When he fasts,in accordance with the fourth Pillar, he detaches himself from the locality in which he is temporarily housed, the better to prepare himself for his everlasting home.
And when, as a pilgrim, he stands before the Ka'ab in Mecca(after circling it seven times), the centrality already prefigured by his orientation when he prayed far off is made actual. Clothed only in two pieces of plain,unsewn cloth, he has left behind him the characteristics which identified him in this world, his race, his nationality, his status; he is no longer so-and-so from such-and-such a place, but simply a pilgrim.
Beneath his bare feet, like mother-of-pearl, is the pale marble of this amphitheater at the centre of the world, and although he is commanded to lower his eyes when praying elsewhere, he is now permitted to raise them and look upon the ka'ba, which is the earthly shadow of the Pole or Pivot around which circle the starry heavens.Although Paradise may still seem far distant, he has already come home."
---British diplomat Charles Le Gai Eaton
"when,in accordance with the first pillar of his religion, the Muslim makes the confession of faith he attaches himself to the essential and puts aside all that is in appearance-other-than- God, and he acknowledges the truth brought by the messengers. When, in accordance with the second Pillar, he prays-whether in a mosque or on the desert sands, in a western city or in the polar regions- he places himself at the centre of all possible worlds, for God has promised that he will be present wherever his name is mentioned, and the place where he is present is necessarily central in every dimension.
When in accordance with the third pillar, this Muslim pays the poor-due and observes the obligation of loving-kindness towards his fellows, he acknowledges the right of other creatures-made in the same image as himself-and recognizes that God, who is close to him, is close also to them. When he fasts,in accordance with the fourth Pillar, he detaches himself from the locality in which he is temporarily housed, the better to prepare himself for his everlasting home.
And when, as a pilgrim, he stands before the Ka'ab in Mecca(after circling it seven times), the centrality already prefigured by his orientation when he prayed far off is made actual. Clothed only in two pieces of plain,unsewn cloth, he has left behind him the characteristics which identified him in this world, his race, his nationality, his status; he is no longer so-and-so from such-and-such a place, but simply a pilgrim.
Beneath his bare feet, like mother-of-pearl, is the pale marble of this amphitheater at the centre of the world, and although he is commanded to lower his eyes when praying elsewhere, he is now permitted to raise them and look upon the ka'ba, which is the earthly shadow of the Pole or Pivot around which circle the starry heavens.Although Paradise may still seem far distant, he has already come home."
---British diplomat Charles Le Gai Eaton
